If you enjoy detail, or find photos distracting, please check out my complete, no-frills resume. (You can also read below.)

If you would like to see photos of the projects I worked on along with descriptions, please go here.

 

Ziyad M. Shihadah

104 Chestnut Ct., Jacksonville NC 28546

Cell: 815-904-4591

Email: zshihadah@gmail.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyad-shihadah-pmp-341a9430   

An accomplished management professional with 34 years of wide-ranging work experience, seeking to share knowledge and expertise in a high-quality company.

Background includes managing companies, departments, teams, and projects. Worked for engineering, construction, project management, and development/home-building companies.

Industries include institutional, commercial, retail, telecommunication, power, petrochemical, industrial, healthcare, hospitality, residential development and home-building, and infrastructure. Worked in many roles, from Site Engineer to Superintendent, Project Controls, Project Management, Vice President, and Managing Director. Also worked both locally in the US, and internationally.

Skills include conflict resolution, constructability advocate, visionary, attentive to detail and accuracy, results-oriented, leadership, proactive, excellent oral and written communication, three-dimensional perspective, competent in Primavera (P6), proficient in MS Office.

Accomplishments include: established a full-fledged company; turned around a project that was behind schedule; single-handedly negotiated and won a multi-year PM contract for my company (Fluor) with the city of Jeddah Saudi Arabia, to manage the entire operation and projects for the city; also won a multi-year contract extension for ongoing construction of a new university campus in Jeddah – both succeeded because of trust and rapport with the client; personally obtained a general contractor license for city of Gary, to stop city from shutting down a project.

Experience

February 2020 – present

Construction Manager

Unified Business Technologies, Inc. (UBT)

As Construction Manager (CM), I work alongside Engineering Technician (ET) and Contract Specialist (CS) to manage multiple projects on Camp Lejeune Base, NC, including monitoring quality assurance in accordance with the project’s contract, plans, and specifications. I facilitate the constant flow of information between the contractor and involved members of the Government team to ensure that projects are executed in a timely manner, at the lowest reasonable cost, and to achieve quality that meets the customers’ needs. My job requires effective organization and careful monitoring in order to balance all of assigned projects.

May 2019 – January 2020

Self-Employed

Business Owner and Volunteer in Rockford, Illinois, USA: Currently lives in Rockford, Illinois, operating a small business and working with several nonprofit and civic organizations.

 

October 2018 – April 2019

Project Director

Innovators Consulting Engineers

Project Director, heading a large team on behalf of the client, overseeing home-building (the construction of a housing project worth approximately $300 million) – a 150-acre gated community with 780 independent homes, religious and recreational facilities, amenities, and complete underground and above-ground infrastructure networks.

Responsibilities included:

  • Managed a team of 50 engineers, supervisors, inspectors, surveyors, and administrators

  • Created a new culture of positivity and productivity, emphasizing teamwork and communication

  • Resolved conflicts that had been ignored for years and had caused ill will

  • Ensured for the client successful delivery of constructability, schedule, budget, specifications, quality, and safety on site

  • Collected, organized, resolved, and closed dozens of outstanding change orders

  • Managed project controls and reporting systems using Primavera P6 and MS Office software

  • Established a testing/commissioning/handover team and procedures

  • Oversaw construction and handover of project from contractor to client to customers

  • Authorized payments to contractor

  • Assisted client (University) in customer service: scheduling walkthrough visits, obtaining final approval of homes by customers (University faculty)

 

May 2016 – September 2018

Self-Employed

Business Owner and Volunteer in Rockford, Illinois, USA: lived and worked in Rockford, Illinois, running and operating a small business, and working with several nonprofit and civic organizations.

 

Jan. 2014 – April 2016

Managing Director

United Gates Construction Contracting Company (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

Established a full-fledged construction/contracting company (owned by Naghi Group); reported to the president and owner of the company. 

Responsibilities included:

  • Created mission and vision statements, defined systems and departments

  • Developed and executed all necessary plans, budgets, agreements, rules, and procedures to run the company successfully

  • Hired 90% of employees

  • Developed, implemented, and managed project controls and reporting systems using Primavera P6 and MS Office software

  • Led a team of managers, engineers, and construction personnel in office and on site

  • Work fields included retail, residential, commercial, and hospitality buildings

 

October 2007 – January 2014

Vice President - Projects

Kinan International Real Estate Development Company

Administered strategic planning and operational management of all phases of development, engineering, procurement, and construction of all projects for this leading Saudi real estate company. Kinan specializes in home-building (upscale residential complexes), retail malls, and mixed-use facilities, all over Saudi Arabia.

Successfully developed land for 1,500 residential units, total value of $500 million.

Responsibilities included:

  • Oversaw development of empty land (two parcels, nine million sq.ft. each) in major cities of Jeddah and Riyadh for a 1500-residential-unit new community

  • Installed all wet and dry utilities, hardscape, landscape, parks, strip malls, and other amenities

  • Built a total of 1500 residential units, total value approximately $500 million

  • Hired designers, consultants, general contractors, and subcontractors to execute work

  • Insured completion of all projects on schedule and on budget using Primavera

  • Ensured implementation of systems and procedures of Projects Department

  • Recruited and oversaw training and development of qualified professionals for Projects Department

  • Enforced safety on jobsite over for over 1,000 total workers

  • Participated in early stages of development of new potential projects

  • Assisted top management as we met or exceeded our overall financial and growth targets

 

June 2006 – October 2007

Site Superintendent

Fluor Corporation (Yanbu, Saudi Arabia)

Multi-billion dollar project for Saudi public company, YANSAB, one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the world at the time. Fluor’s scope of work included engineering, procurement, and construction of process plants and associated utilities and offsites.

Responsibilities included:

  • Reviewed and implemented construction drawings

  • Tracked approval and procurement of materials and equipment

  • Kept track of project schedule and identified any critical issues

  • Monitored quality, health, and safety on site

 

July 2004 – June 2006

Project Manager

Fluor Corporation (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

Promoted to PM for entire King Abdul Aziz University new campus project, including central library, colleges of engineering, science, and art, sports facilities, etc., and infrastructure totaling over $200 million. Fluor was responsible for supervising the various contracts from bidding to completion and handover to University.

Responsibilities included:

  • Oversaw full engineering and construction teams of approximately seventy people

  • Ran overall operations for multiple simultaneous projects

  • Ensured for the client successful delivery of design, engineering, constructability, schedule, budget, specs, quality, and safety for all projects

  • Worked with the client on overall budgeting and scheduling of the program, including coordination with existing campus

  • Authorized payments to contractors

April 2000 – June 2004

Senior Construction Engineer (SCE)

Fluor Corporation (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

King Abdul Aziz University new campus, including state-of-the-art women’s college of science, a massive indoor-outdoor sports facility, clearing and installation of infrastructure for an area of over 700,000 square meters. Oversaw four projects simultaneously, including constructability review, bidding, overseeing contractors, safety, etc.

Responsibilities included:

  • Member of the team that evaluated bids and selected successful bidder

  • Oversaw adherence to project specs, quality, schedule, budget, and safety for assigned projects

  • Reviewed and approved billing, including change orders

  • Member of team conducting handover to University

 

December 1999 – March 2000

Project Manager

Fluor Corporation (Jacksonville, FL)

Power project for Jacksonville Electricity Authority: three simple cycle combustion turbines and supporting primary and secondary buildings, facilities, and utilities.

As company liaison, responsibilities included:

  • Worked closely with Fluor top management to negotiate and develop all aspects of construction proposal

  • Developed plan for all temporary facilities, utilities, roads, parking, and receiving/laydown areas 

  • Assisted in negotiating the agreement with equipment and tools supplying company and in the issuing of the first dozen contracts and P.O.’s

  • Part of the team that started the construction activities on site for the first few weeks

December 1995 – December 1999

Field Engineer

Fluor Corporation (East Chicago, IN)

Four consecutive industrial projects, including a 300,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, roads and railroad tracks; three steam turbine generator facilities, including steel piles, thousands of yards of concrete, cooling towers, pump houses, control and maintenance facilities, and a 300-ft. tall concrete stack on one facility.

Responsibilities included:

  • Directed and controlled engineering functions

  • Insured conformance to code and specification requirements

  • Made adaptations and modifications to design as needed

  • Procured materials for various disciplines

  • Wrote scope of work and provided engineering support for various subcontracts

  • Quality control and compatibility with project definition and scope of work

  • Prepared requisitions for procurement of services, materials, and equipment

  • Provided technical support and interpretation of code and specification requirements

  • Assisted in supervision of civil crafts where needed

  • Administrated various subcontracts through completion

  

July 1993 – December 1995

Project Controls Engineer/Scheduling Lead

Fluor Corporation (Chicago, IL)

Chicago New Emergency 911 Facility, a $200+ million telecom endeavor that included a main facility and a backup facility, miles of fiber optic cables, with state of the art communication equipment and ties to police and fire station all over Chicago.

Responsibilities included:

  • Worked with project managers to create and update schedules

  • Tracked engineering, procurement, and construction activities

  • Analyzed and periodically reported to the project management the status of the project

 

April 1991 – July 1993

Project Controls Engineer

Raytheon E&C; Stone & Webster (Whiting, IN)

Used Primavera to develop and execute schedules for refinery projects for Amoco Oil Company to comply with government Air Act Regulation, and constructed several new processing facilities.

 

April 1986 – January 1991

Project Manager and other positions

Al-Redwan Holding Company (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

With this contracting company, progressed over 5 years from Estimator to Project Controls Engineer, Assistant Project Manager, and Project Manager. As PM, managed office, hospitality, and three simultaneous hospital projects.

Education

January 1986

Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

June 1983

Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Civil Engineering - King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Certificates

  • Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate - Project Management Institute (PMI)

  • NAVFAC 40-hour Contract Safety Hazard Awareness Course- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC)

  • 30-hour OSHA training in Construction Safety and Health - Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC)

  • Ten-hour OSHA training for the Construction Industry - USF OSHA Training Institute 

  • Project Management Certificate - University of Hartford Construction Institute

Civic Engagement

  • Commissioner for Rockford Housing Authority (RHA)

  • Fordham Forward of Rockford (modeled after Purpose-Built Communities)

  • Founder of Unity in Diversity of Rockford

 

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Travel, cooking, spectator sports

 

Citizen of the United States of America